[POV - MIYU]
"Hey....your name was...."
"Bob"
"Aha...right, um...Bob, how long until we reach the next outpost?"
Bob looked at the panel he was manning. He was tired, working for days on end to get the carriages transport-ready, and now he was manning controls since no matter what he did he couldn't get the autopilot to work.
He replied, exhausted, while rubbing his eyes, "At this rate? I don't know....say....14 hours? And that's being rather optimistic. I can't account for a possible malfunction or a break down"
"I see..." Miyu said. She looked back at the passengers in the carriage. Most people were passed out in their seats, while the scarce few kids looked out the windows, staring at the desolate, starry landscape that was Lokir.
She turned back to him.
"Get some rest dude, I'd rather not you pass out on us when we're relying on you get us to the next..."
"Outpost" he said for her
"Right, outpost in one piece. Mind you, we're the head of the convoy, we can't really afford to stray of course" She said
Bob glanced behind him, not looking at the passengers, but beyond them, beyond the walls of the carriage. He cast an look at the 5 carriages behind the theirs.
He rubbed his eyes as he sighed, turning his eyes back at the panel.
"The autopilot was damaged and i couldn't get it to work in time. I don't have a choice" he said with a tired smile.
"Thank you, young miss, but I'm afraid I'll have to stay. Don't worry though, I'll be fine, I've done worse back home"
It was disheartening to hear, but Miyu couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't help him, not because she didn't want to, but because she didn't know how. She barely had an idea about how to get the doors to close, much less drive the carriage.
"I see"
She walked back to a seat near a window, and looked out at the view.
As Miyu gazed out of the window, her mind wandered to the events that had led them to this point. The journey had been fraught with danger and uncertainty, yet here they were, hurtling through the desolate landscape of Lokir in search of safety.
She couldn't help but feel a sense of unease gnawing at her insides. The looming threat of the Siege, the uncertainty of what lay ahead, it all weighed heavily on her mind. But she knew she had to stay strong, for the sake of the passengers relying on her to keep them safe.
As the hours passed and the landscape outside remained unchanged, Miyu found herself growing restless. The monotony of the journey was beginning to wear on her, and she longed for some sign of hope, some glimmer of light in the darkness that surrounded them.
The high walls of the unnaturally large gorge...it brought on a strange sense of dread. Coupled with the constant silence, it lead the mind into...unsavory directions.
Suddenly, a faint rumbling sound echoed through the carriage, causing Miyu to sit up straight in alarm.
No...it wasn't in the carriage. She had a feel that if it was, she'd probably be dead.
It was something else.
She glanced around, her eyes darting from one passenger to the next, but they all seemed oblivious to the growing sense of unease that filled the air.
"What was that?" she muttered to herself, her heart racing in her chest.
Bob, who had been monitoring the controls, looked up with a furrowed brow. "I'm not sure," he replied, his voice tinged with concern. "It could be nothing, but...we should keep an eye out, just in case."
Miyu nodded, her senses on high alert as she scanned the horizon for any sign of danger. But the landscape outside remained eerily still, the only movement coming from the occasional vent that threw dust up high into the air, like a fountain.
Just as Miyu was beginning to relax, a sudden flash of movement caught her eye. She turned to look, her breath catching in her throat as she saw it.
The general colors of the terrain on Lokir was a faint purple, dark, or lighter, within that range. A sharp contrast to the black, starry canvas that resided above.
Yet it was odd. In the distance, the pale purple horizon seemed to...recede.
At first it was negligible, but as the seconds ticked by, the purple became less and less. A squirming dark patch encroached and spread.
More...and more.
"What is that?" she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Bob followed her gaze, his expression grim. "It's the Siege," he said, his voice heavy with dread.
"It's here"
"Already?" she hissed. Le'ahna had given them nearly 4 days worth of time before it came back.
It hadn't even been two yet. It was too early.
"And these numbers...it's nothing like the last wave? Bob, is this normal?"
He furrowed his eyebrows. He wasn't a combatant, so he didn't know how a Siege typically worked. But he did hear stories.
"I've got friends back at the academy. Combat classers. They often told me their stories on the field, since they were often sent on minor assignments. Much like Le'ahna."
"Well, fair enough, she seems like a strong person"
"Strong is an understatement, she's one of the best in her class at the academy. And she's a noble to boot. The point is, they often told me about Sieges. I didn't have much of a vested interest, since I'm not in the combat class, wish I listened better now."
"Bob, you're derailing. What did they say? Your friends?"
"Right, Sieges have several waves, each one stronger than the last. Most minor ones never go more than ten waves, and even that is over the course of a month. The last wave usually has the most Fyrraths"
"So this is that last one?" she said.
"I...don't know? It's only been 10 days, and...these numbers...No, it can't be normal"
She got her answer, albeit a bit roundabout.
"How long do you think they'll take to reach Varric and the others?"
"At that rate...an hour at least. Maybe two if they're lucky"
Miyu grimaced.
She looked at the coming horde and asked "You think they know?"
Bob scoffed in derision.
"You might be a Traveler, but you're far too green to be worrying about them. Neither am I, we are unqualified to do that"
He looked out the window too.
"As for whether they know.."
He turned back to the panel.
"They knew far before any of us did"